Happy Opening Day, Baseball Fans

First and foremost, Opening Day should be a National Holiday. What’s more, it should be on a Monday (particularly with the college basketball games happening at the same time). Monday would be perfect—there are no other sports on TV, and it gives fans (and kids) the opportunity to enjoy America’s pastime -BASEBALL- the best sport in the world.

Why is Baseball the best sport?

Baseball is Rich in History and Tradition: Baseball has been around for over a century, with legendary figures like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron shaping not just the game but American culture.  And they are all still household names LONG after their passing.

Every Game is Different: Baseball is unpredictable, unlike sports with a clock. No lead is ever truly safe, and anything can happen until the final out.

Baseball Requires Strategy AND Skill: Baseball is a thinking person’s game. From pitch selection to defensive shifts, every play is a battle of wits between players and coaches.

The Ballparks: No other sport has the charm and uniqueness of baseball stadiums. They are treated as church-like places by fans, even fans of rival teams.  Whether it’s Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, or Dodger Stadium, every park has its own personality.

It is CLEARLY America’s Pastime: There’s a nostalgic and cultural connection to baseball that no other sport quite matches. From kids playing in sandlots to families bonding over a summer game, baseball is woven into the fabric of life.

James Earl Jones said it well in the iconic baseball movie ‘Field of Dreams’:

“Ray, people will come, Ray.

They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past.

“Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,” you’ll say. “It’s only twenty dollars per person.” They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it. For it is money they have and peace they lack.

And they’ll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as if they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.

People will come, Ray.

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.

America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.

This field, this game – it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.

Ohhhhhhhh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.”

It’s also fair to say that Kevin Costner has been in some seriously good baseball movies.  I dare you to tell me that ‘Bull Durham’ isn’t a top-5 sports movie of all time…

Now, for this year, the expectations are high for the Braves, and I think rightly so.

The NL East is going to be insanely tough, with the Phillies and Mets making big moves to be competitive.  If I’m looking at opening day rosters of the three teams, the Braves win 110 games.  But as we all know, injuries happen, streaks come to an end, and predictions don’t always pan out, so I’m putting the over/under on Braves wins at 100 this year.  I’m a believer.  Especially after last year (half the team/starters were out and we still made the playoffs).

I’m predicting that the Braves make it to the World Series and play the Yankees.  What a good time that would be…

So let’s talk about it – what do you think?  Do the Braves have a chance?

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